1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns systems which utilize the combined capabilities of computers and telephony.
2. Related Art
Historically computers and telephony have occupied different areas in the overall field of technology with the exception of the increasing use of computer technology in controlling and managing telephone networks. However there is now a rapid convergence in these two areas so that the boundaries between computing and telephony are becoming harder to define. Thus computers, as well as being used to control telephones, can have special telephone interfaces that carry out the telephony functions; additionally information carried over telephone lines can be detected by computers and used to handle the calls more efficiently.
One of the forces driving the integration of computing and telephony is that modern businesses have a growing need to unite individuals in different locations into project teams. Another concept uniting computing and telephony is that of the "hot desk" where an individual does not necessarily have a single defined office location but may rather be migratory so that his/her office is defined at the point of logging-in to a computer terminal, a procedure which obviously can occur at widely spaced locations given the great increase in computer networks. Thus while the server of the computer network will know at log-on where the user is located this is not necessarily so for the user's telephone number.
Thus the present invention is concerned with the situation in which members of a work group can easily remain in touch independently of location, for example at multiple offices, at home and when mobile.
A system has evolved to meet these needs, which is known as Computer Telephony Integration (CTI). A set of protocols and standards for CTI have also arisen and these standards are known as Standards ECMA-217 SERVICES FOR COMPUTER SUPPORTED TELECOMMUNICATIONS APPLICATIONS PHASE I, and Standards ECMA-218 SERVICES FOR COMPUTER SUPPORTED TELECOMMUNICATIONS APPLICATIONS PHASE II.
In what follows it will be assumed that these standards are met by the specific embodiment to be described, but it will be appreciated that the inventive concept to be set out later does not necessarily demand that the protocols of the above standards are followed.
One system involving CTI has been developed by British Telecommunications Limited and is known as Distributed Office Technology (DOT). In a DOT network each telephone user has an associated terminal by means of which he/she can log into what can be referred to as a virtual work group. Once logged-on the user will be provided on the associated monitor with a visual indication of each member of the team. Both the telephony and physical status of each member of the virtual work group is thus displaced on the monitor, which can be the screen of a standard PC which acts as the terminal. Users may add and remove members from the work group at any time. This can be achieved by dragging and dropping a new individual from a directory onto the work group. When a user receives a phone call, not only does the telephone ring at the physical location but the user's icon will flash and a screen pop will appear. Every other member of the virtual work group who has logged in will be able to see that the particular member of the team has a call ringing. The user can analyze the screen pop, and answer or reject the call. The screen pop will at the very least give the number of the incoming call and, if available, the network database additional relevant information concerning the caller. However the fact that a system as just described has come into existence has been largely caused by the mobility of the members of the work group. An obvious result of such mobility is that an intended recipient of a call can be at one of many locations, which can include being at home where there may be no computer terminal, or actually travelling and thus only contactable on a mobile phone.
In our co-pending UK Patent Application No. 9707862.0 of even date a solution to this problem is described.
Another problem brought about by the concept of the virtual work group scattered over a range of different locations is that as the size of the group increases it becomes more and more important for members of the group to be both informed and selective with regard to the reception of incoming calls.
One problem with on line switches is that while they may provide a group function, so that when a user hears a phone ringing which is not his he can pick up his phone and use the group function to interrupt the call. This however cannot normally be done outside a PBX switch. Additionally if a call is made to one number, it is not possible via CTI simply to then ask a PBX switch to redirect the call to another number. The call has to be aborted and the calling process restarted. Thus the basic problem remains that once the CTI system has delivered a call to a telephone it is frequently impossible to redirect the call even if it has not been answered. This position in local networks if an intended recipient has a phone number outside the local network.
The present invention is concerned with providing a simple solution to these various problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,090 discloses a method of setting up, manipulating and taking down communication connections utilizing graphics screens at computer terminals. In that method, a traditional telephone instrument which would normally be connected via a conventional link to a conventional communication system is replaced by signal controller, a speakerphone and a computer. The signal controller terminates the conventional link from the communication system and provides separate signalling and voice links, the signalling link being connected to both the computer and the speakerphone, and the voice link being connected to the speakerphone only. The communication system is not aware that it is not connected to a traditional telephone instrument.
Upon receipt of an incoming call, the communication system behaves in conventional manner, i.e. refers to its internal routing table to obtain the identity of the line to which the incoming call is to be connected, and alerts that line in the conventional manner as if there were a traditional telephone instrument connected to that line.
The computer emulates the button presses of a traditional telephone instrument in accordance with user selection and control of screen icons representing users of the communication system, and the disclosure is principally concerned with facilitating conference calls via computer inputted commands, and does not answer the problem concerning the delivery of calls to a phone as already set out.
GB Patent Specification No. GB-A-2294178 (Fujitsu Limited) discloses a CTI arrangement comprising a switch unit with associated telephones, and a host unit connected to computer terminals. Generally, the telephones are associated with respective ones of the computer terminals. Thus, when the switch unit receives a call for one of its telephones, it rings that telephone and informs the host unit that it is applying ringing to that called directory number. The host unit performs a lookup to obtain the identity of the computer terminal associated with that telephone, and sends to that computer terminal an instruction for displaying a message corresponding to the alert.
Fujitsu Limited discloses several embodiments, including: the sharing of a common telephone by two users, each working at a respective computer terminal associated with that common telephone having two different directory numbers allocated to it; the delivery of a call to the intended recipient when he is logged on at a computer terminal which is not his "home" computer terminal; and the delivery of a call to a representative of the intended recipient. Where users have a fixed association with the telephones, the switch unit always rings the intended recipient and informs the host unit. In embodiments where users can log in at computer terminals other than their "home" computer terminal; the switch unit waits for the host unit to instruct it as to where the intended recipient, or his appointed representative, is located, i.e. the directory number to be rung, and rings that telephone, and the host unit independently instructs the relevant computer terminal to display the alert message.
Thus, it can be seen that the intended recipient has no choice as to whether his telephone is to ring or not, and the message displayed on his computer terminal is merely confirmative that the ringing telephone is in respect of a call for him.